As the nation continues the transformation of its electrical infrastructure, the spotlight has largely focused on technology, resilience, and energy transition. Yet the people on the ground making this transformation possible need to part of the conversation.

For the utility workers upgrading our power lines, integrating smart technologies, and maintaining a grid in flux, modernization comes with increased physical demands and safety risks.

In this article, we explore why protecting utility workers must scale alongside grid modernization — not only because it’s the right thing to do, but because it’s essential for sustaining momentum and delivering results.

The Grid Overhaul Is Well Underway

The US Department of Energy’s $10.5 billion Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) Program represents a sweeping effort to upgrade transmission and distribution systems nationwide. 

With over 100 projects funded across all 50 states, this five-year investment aims to make the grid more resilient, flexible, and sustainable. According to the NC Clean Energy Technology Center, 47 states took legislative or regulatory action on grid modernization in the first quarter of 2025 alone.

But these public investments are far exceeded by the private sector. Investor-owned electric utilities in the US invested a record $178.2 billion in 2023 alone, with projections reaching $1.1 trillion by 20291. 

Smart grid deployments, advanced metering infrastructure, and wide-scale integration of distributed energy resources are changing not just how the grid functions, but how utility workers interact with it. These changes bring new roles, new tools, and significantly more complex field environments.

The Human Cost of Grid Modernization

This isn’t happening in a vacuum. It’s playing out on job sites where crews are already navigating extreme weather, aging infrastructure, and tight timelines. With every mile of cable laid or substation upgraded, workers face a mounting physical toll. And the risks are not hypothetical.

Power line installers and repairers are among the most hazardous occupations in the country. According to the Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI), these workers face a fatality rate of 6.56 per 100,000 full-time employees—more than double the rate for electricians. 

These tragic instances can be the culmination of various contributing factors, such as fatigue, stress, or pain related to musculoskeletal disorders picked up on the job – all of which are more likely under the pressures of modernization.

Musculoskeletal Disorders in the Utilities Sector

The utilities sector consistently ranks among the highest for work-related musculoskeletal disorders (2), with Linemen accounting for the highest share of medical claim costs among electricity-related occupations (3).

What’s more, data from a 2024 Bureau of Labor Statistics report shows that injury rates in the utilities sector are on the rise.

Compounding the risk is a major demographic shift in the workforce. 

As seasoned utility workers retire en masse, companies are onboarding a new generation of employees who often lack field experience. This transition is increasing the likelihood of accidents and fatigue-related injuries, especially as newer workers are thrust into high-stakes environments without the benefit of years of hands-on training (4).

Addressing the Link Between Stress and MSD Rates in Utilities

With a lot of work to be done, new electrical utilities jobs emerging as part of the transformation process may carry a high stress burden, 

The physical and cognitive loads are deeply intertwined. A study published in the Journal of Occupational Therapy found that electrical utility workers experiencing high job stress are more than four times as likely to show musculoskeletal symptoms in the shoulder compared to their lower-stress peers (5).

Why Protecting Utilities Professionals Protects Progress

Investing in worker safety isn’t just a moral imperative but a strategic one. Fewer injuries mean:

• Lower medical and compensation costs
• Higher productivity per worker
• Less downtime
• Faster project completion and target achievement

According to the National Safety Council (NSC), organizations that adopt safety technologies typically recoup their investment within one to two years and go on to realize five-, six-, or even seven-figure savings. 

In the utilities sector, where modernization efforts are time-sensitive and capital-intensive, even short-term absences can derail progress. Injuries don’t just affect the individual, they ripple through entire teams, delaying upgrades, increasing costs, and straining tight margins.

Moreover, the NSC estimates that each medically consulted workplace injury costs around $43,000 in the US, factoring in wage losses, productivity hits, and administrative expenses.

Scaling Safety Alongside Infrastructure

With billions being spent on upgrading infrastructure, utilities companies need to keep pace with the evolving nature of field work. As job roles shift and new technologies become embedded in daily operations, a static approach to ergonomics simply doesn’t work, but Cardinus can help.

FlashAI: Instant Ergonomic Insights From Your Device

Delivered in partnership with 3MotionAI, FlashAI is a cutting-edge motion and task analysis app that works on any smartphone or tablet. With just a simple video capture, FlashAI produces a comprehensive analysis of 3D human motion and delivers ergonomic risk scores in real time.

FlashAI makes it effortless to:

• Identify musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) risk zones
  
• Generate objective, repeatable task assessments
  
• Provide instant performance scoring and task-specific metrics
  
• Receive targeted insight and recommendations

FlashAI removes the need for manual data collection, allows rapid deployment across teams, and integrates with broader compliance platforms. Try FlashAI for free.

Healthy Working Pro: Comprehensive Industrial Ergonomics Software

Healthy Working Pro is our industrial ergonomics platform designed for enterprise use across complex environments. This cloud-based solution enables onsite ergonomic assessments using 18 pre-built tools, plus the flexibility to create custom evaluations tailored to specific tasks, environments, and worker populations.

With Healthy Working Pro, utilities can:

• Replace manual data collection with automated, real-time inputs
  
• Streamline reporting and analytics across job functions
  
• Evaluate environments, tasks, and roles in a scalable way
  
• Support compliance and continuous improvement initiatives

As part of a unified platform that integrates easily with other safety systems, Healthy Working Pro empowers assessors and safety teams to operate with greater efficiency and insight in the field. Inquire about Healthy Working Pro today.

The Case for Proactive Leadership

For safety, operations, and HR leaders in the utilities sector, grid modernization presents both a challenge and an opportunity. The opportunity lies in rethinking traditional approaches to workforce protection and embracing solutions that are as modern as the infrastructure being built.

Failing to address ergonomic risks at scale could lead to higher injury rates, increased workers’ compensation claims, and decreased morale among an already stretched labor force. More importantly, it risks undermining the very goals of the grid investment itself. After all, a resilient grid requires a resilient workforce.

With solutions like FlashAI and Healthy Working Pro, utilities can proactively protect employees, prevent injury, and meet compliance demands during this pivotal moment. Contact Cardinus today to learn more about our services or to discuss your specific requirements.

Citations

1. T&D World
   T&D World. (2024, May 2). Investor-owned utilities lead nation in infrastructure spending amid soaring electricity demand. https://www.tdworld.com/utility-business/news/55305439/investor-owned-utilities-lead-nation-in-infrastructure-spending-amid-soaring-electricity-demand
2. Oregon Health Authority
   Oregon Health Authority. (n.d.). Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and ergonomics: Oregon OSHA Resource Manual, Edition 9. https://www.oregon.gov/oha/PH/HEALTHYENVIRONMENTS/WORKPLACEHEALTH/Documents/Edition9MSDs.pdf
3. International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health
   Vinothini Padmanathan, Leonard Joseph, Bahardin Omar, Roslizawati Nawawi (2016) Prevalence of Musculoskeletal Disorders and Related Occupational Causative Factors Among Electricity Linemen: A Narrative Review, 18(1), 57–64. https://ijomeh.eu/pdf-60390-4815?filename=Prevalence%20of.pdf
4. Librestream Technologies Inc.
   Librestream Technologies Inc. (n.d.). Workforce transformation in utilities: Meeting today’s challenges with remote expertise. https://librestream.com/media/LIB-utilities-whitepaper-workforce-transformation-final.pdf
5. Wiley Online Library / Australian Occupational Therapy Journal
   Shane Rogerson, Mike Climstein, Rudi Meir, Zachary Crowly-Mchattan, Neil Chapman (2024). Prevalence of Musculoskeletal Pain and Dysfunction in Electrical Utility Workers: Practical Considerations for Prevention and Rehabilitation in the Workplace. https://doi.org/10.1111/1440-1630.12939